Kevin Owens On Goldberg Being A Steve Austin Rip-Off, Liking "Ringmaster" Gimmick, Limiting Moveset
Recently on The Steve Austin Show, WWE Hall Of Famer Steve Austin welcomed current WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens to the podcast. Among many other things, Owens talked about cutting down on his moveset, delivering a 'Stone Cold' Stunner at WWE Royal Rumble, never being a fan of WCW and Goldberg, and enjoying Steve Austin's Ringmaster persona.
According to Owens, he has limited his moveset to protect his opponents and to have other moves at the ready when he is asked to change up his character.
"When you're coming up and you're trying to find who you are, in a way, I realized that some of that stuff doesn't apply to who I am or who I'm becoming and stuff like that. I wouldn't say that I've cut out any move because I'm trying to protect my body because I don't remember ever doing a specific move that was really hard on myself or anything like that. There are moves that I cut out because I want to preserve the health of my opponents, sure, there [are] definitely those, but also, a big aspect to it is I like having stuff in my back pocket for when it's time to crank it up or maybe evolve or show a different side of myself. Eventually, I'll probably be asked to be a different Kevin Owens and once that time is there, I have stuff that people [have not seen]."
On the subject of pulling out the 'Stone Cold' Stunner against Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble, Owens said he was pulling out all the stops trying to win the match and they were in Texas, Austin's home state.
"I was trying to win! And where were we? Texas of all places! What better place than [that] to bust it out?" Owens added, "in hopes of beating [Reigns], you have to throw everything at him, everything but the kitchen sink. You've got to put everything you have in and sometimes even borrow a thing or two from other people."
Owens acknowledged that getting Austin's tutelage prior to busting out 'The Texas Rattlesnake”s signature finish would have been a good idea, though he did not plan to use the move in advance.
"I didn't think of the gut shot. I did the best I could. It wasn't enough. But, hey, maybe I should've called [Austin], but it just happened. It wasn't something I planned. It just came to me."
Owens claimed that he asked Austin if he could use the Stunner and 'The Bionic Redneck' responded in the affirmative, but he just did not use it right away.
"I remember sitting in a room with [Austin]. I don't remember the specific arena, but I remember sitting in a room with you about a year ago and saying, 'Steve, I'd love to start doing the 'Stone Cold' Stunner, if that's okay with you.' And I remember the answer being positive. And I didn't do it right away because it didn't feel right. I waited for the right time. And to me, the right time was in San Antonio, Texas, when I'm trying to beat Roman Reigns, one of the toughest men in the history of this business! And, obviously, I've got to work on it, but I came real close."
Owens stated that he was never a WCW fan or a Goldberg fan and that he thought that Goldberg was a ripoff of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.
"I was never a WCW guy. I was a WWF/WWE guy my entire life. When I was a kid, I discovered wrestling because of WrestleMania 11 when my dad got the VHS from a video store back home and that was it. I heard of WCW; I knew of WCW, but I never watched it. I didn't care. But '97, '98, whatever it was, if I may, I was the biggest 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin fan out there and I will say that to anybody who claims otherwise. And to me, I would see this other guy on WCW wearing the black trunks, bald head, similar [facial hair], the goatee, and I was like, 'this guy's just a cheap 'Stone Cold' ripoff. Goldberg? 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and WWE is where it's at!' And, I mean, I carried that through my entire life."
In Owens' view, he is a WWE guy now and he still sees Goldberg as an outsider.
"Goldberg really wasn't around [WWE] enough for me to make that same sense of like, 'okay, now he's a WWE guy.' Even his run that he had here, whatever it was, 11 months, from the night after WrestleMania 19 to WrestleMania 20 and then, he left. To me, he was just the dude from WCW." Owens continued, "now, I'm a WWE guy and to me, [Goldberg is] still an outsider. And I told him that I was never a Goldberg guy and I really wasn't."
During the podcast, Owens admitted that he liked Austin's short-lived Ringmaster gimmick as being "straight forward" and a gimmick he gravitated towards as someone who would not thrive as a more over-the-top or flashy persona.
"I was all in right away. I think because at that time, especially, everybody else was so extravagant and elaborate. [Austin was] the complete opposite. I think that's what drew me to [Austin], I guess I was already dreaming of becoming a WWE Superstar. To me, I could see myself being more like you than being like all these other extravagant characters."
Listen to the podcast here. If you use any of the quotes that appear in this article, please credit The Steve Austin Show with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: The Steve Austin Show